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EASIER
ENGLISH
BASIC
DICTIONARY
SECOND EDITION
General editor
P.H. Collin
A BLOOMSBURY REFERENCE BOOK
www.bloomsbury.com
Second edition published 2004
First published in Great Britain 2001
© Copyright P.H. Collin, F. Collin, S.M.H. Collin 2001
This edition © Copyright Bloomsbury Publishing 2004
Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
38 Soho Square
London W1D 3HB
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may
be reproduced in any form or by any means without the
permission of the publishers.
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
ISBN 0 7475 6644 5
eISBN-13: 978-1-4081-0202-2
Text processing and computer typesetting by Bloomsbury Publishing
Printed and bound in Italy by Legoprint
All papers used by Bloomsbury Publishing are natural, recyclable
products made from wood grown in well-managed forests.
The manufacturing processes conform to the
environmental regulations of the country of origin.
GENERAL EDITOR
P. H. Collin
Editorial Contributors
Penelope Hands, Howard Sargeant
Text Production and Proofreading
Katy McAdam, Joel Adams,
Daisy Jackson, Sarah Lusznat
Preface
This dictionary contains the most frequently used words in English and provides the
basic vocabulary needed for everyday communication by anyone starting to learn the
language. It is especially useful for elementary and pre-intermediate students of all
ages and would be suitable for those working towards an elementary level English
examination such as KET or PET.
Each word is individually defined, and no words, not even adverbs, are given without a definition. Examples are included for many words to provide patterns for the
user’s own production of English sentences.
Each word, including compound words and phrasal verbs, has its own easy-to-find
main entry in bold type. Each word has a pronunciation in the International
Phonetic Alphabet. Common phrases and idioms associated with the main term are
shown in bold type and separately defined within the entry.
The meanings of the main common senses of each word are given clearly and simply, using a limited and easily understood vocabulary. Meanings are grouped
together by their part of speech.
Extra help is offered in Notes at the end of some entries. These include warnings
about words which can confused with each other, unusual inflected forms and
regularly collocating prepositions. The major differences in US and British
spelling are noted.
A useful companion to this dictionary is Easier English Basic Synonyms which
compares and contrasts words with similar meanings, showing the similarities and
differences in usage.
Symbols
before a new part of speech
before examples
before a phrase or collocation
before an idiom
a definition of the word will be found at the place indicated
extra information will be found at the place indicated
í
ć
˽
ȣ
ı
Pronunciation
The following symbols have been used to show the pronunciation of the main
words in the dictionary.
Stress has been indicated by a main stress mark ( ) and a secondary stress
mark ( ). Note that these are only guides, as the stress of the word changes
according to its position in the sentence.
Vowels
ɑ
ɒ
a
aυ
aə
aυə
ɔ
ɔ
e
eə
e
eυ
i
i
ə
ə
u
u
υ
υə
Consonants
back
harm
stop
type
how
hire
hour
course
annoy
head
fair
make
go
word
keep
happy
about
fit
near
annual
pool
book
tour
shut
b
d
ð
d
f
h
j
k
l
m
n
ŋ
p
r
s
ʃ
t
tʃ
θ
v
w
x
z
buck
dead
other
jump
fare
gold
head
yellow
cab
leave
mix
nil
sing
print
rest
save
shop
take
change
theft
value
work
loch
measure
zone
Basic.fm Page 1 Friday, January 16, 2004 3:10 PM
A
very able manager. ć There are special
activities for able children.
a1 /e/, A noun the first letter of the alphaa
bet, followed by B ć Do you mean ‘dependant’ spelt with an ‘a’ or ‘dependent’ with an ‘e’? ȣ from A to Z completely, all the way through
about /ə baυt/ preposition 1. referring to
about
something ć He told me all about his
operation. ć What do you want to speak
to the doctor about? 2. ˽ to be about to
do something to be going to do something very soon ć We were about to go
home when you arrived. 3. not exactly ć
I’ve been waiting for about four hours.
ć She’s only about fifteen years old. ȣ
how about? 1. what do you think
about? ć We can’t find a new chairperson for the club – What about Sarah? 2.
would you like a cup of tea? ȣ while
you’re about it at the same time as the
thing you are doing ć While you’re
about it, can you post this letter?
a2 /ə, e/, an /ən, n/ article 1. one ć an
a
enormous hole ć a useful guidebook ć
She’s bought a new car. ć I want a cup
of tea. ć We had to wait an hour for the
bus. (NOTE: an is used before words
beginning with a, e, i, o, u and with h if
the h is not pronounced: an apple or
an hour. a is used before words beginning with all other letters and also before u where u is pronounced /ju / : a
useful guidebook) 2. for each or to each
ć
Apples cost £1.50 a kilo. ć The car
was travelling at 50 kilometres an hour.
ć He earns £100 a day.
above /ə b v/ preposition 1. higher than
above
ć The plane was flying above the
clouds. ć The temperature in the street
was above 30 degrees. ć At prices
above £20, nobody will buy it. 2. older
than ć If you are above 18, you have to
pay the full fare. 3. louder than ć I
couldn’t hear the telephone above the
noise of the drills.
abandon /ə b ndən/ verb 1. to leave
abandon
someone or something in an unkind way
ć The dog had been abandoned by its
owner. 2. to give up or stop doing something ć The company has decided to
abandon the project. ć We abandoned
the idea of setting up a London office.
abbreviation /ə bri vi eʃ(ə)n/ noun a
abbreviation
short form of a word
abroad /ə brɔ d/ adverb in or to another
abroad
country ć They’ve gone abroad on holiday. ć I lived abroad for three years.
ability /ə blti/ noun 1. a natural tendenability
cy to do something well ć I admire his
ability to stay calm in difficult situations. ć We can develop their natural
abilities. (NOTE: The plural is abilities.)
˽ I’ll do it to the best of my ability I’ll
do it as well as I can 2. the fact of being
clever ć suitable for different levels of
ability (NOTE: no plural)
absence / bsəns/ noun the fact of beabsence
ing away from a place ć She did not explain her absence from the meeting. ć
The former president was sentenced in
his absence. ˽ in the absence of because someone or something is not there
ć In the absence of the chairman, his
deputy took over. ć In the absence of
any official support, we had to raise our
own funds.
able / eb(ə)l/ adjective 1. ˽ to be able to
able
do something to be capable of something or have the chance to do something ć They weren’t able to find the
house. ć Will you be able to come to the
meeting? 2. good at doing something, or
good at doing many things ć She’s a
absent / bsənt/ adjective not there
absent
ć
Ten of the staff are absent with flu.
absolute / bsəlu t/ adjective comabsolute
plete or total
Basic.fm Page 2 Friday, January 16, 2004 3:10 PM
absolutely
2
accompany
absolutely adverb 1. / bsəlu tli/ com-
little gift. 2. to say ‘yes’ or to agree to
something ć She accepted the offer of a
job in Australia. ć I invited her to come
with us and she accepted. (NOTE: Do not
absolutely
pletely ć I am absolutely sure I left the
keys in my coat pocket. 2. / bsə lu tli/
yes, of course ć Did you build it yourself? – Absolutely!
absorb /əb zɔ b/ verb 1. to take in
something such as a liquid ć The water
should be absorbed by the paper. ć Salt
absorbs moisture from the air. 2. to reduce a shock ć The car’s springs are
supposed to absorb any shock from the
road surface.
absurd /əb s d/ adjective completely
unreasonable or impossible to believe ć
It’s absurd to expect you will win the lottery if you only buy one ticket.
abuse1 /ə bju s/ noun 1. rude words ć
The people being arrested shouted
abuse at the police. 2. very bad treatment ć the sexual abuse of children ć
She suffered physical abuse in prison.
absorb
absurd
abuse
(NOTE: [all senses] no plural)
abuse2 /ə bju z/ verb 1. to treat someabuse
one very badly, usually physically or
sexually ć She had been abused as a
child. 2. to make the wrong use of something ć He abused his position as finance director. 3. to say rude things
about someone ć The crowd noisily
abused the group of politicians as they
entered the building.
academic / kə demk/ adjective 1. relating to study at a university ć Members of the academic staff received a letter from the principal. 2. only in theory,
not in practice ć It is only of academic
interest. í noun a university teacher ć
All her friends are academics.
accelerate /ək seləret/ verb to go faster ć Don’t accelerate when you get to
traffic lights.
accent / ksənt/ noun 1. a particular
way of pronouncing something ć He
speaks with an American accent. 2. the
stronger or louder part of a word or sentence ć In the word ‘letter’ the accent is
on the first syllable. 3. a mark over a letter showing a particular way of pronouncing it ć Café has an accent on the
‘e’.
accept /ək sept/ verb 1. to take and keep
a present ć We hope you will accept this
academic
accelerate
accent
accept
confuse with except.)
acceptable /ək septəb(ə)l/ adjective
acceptable
good enough to be accepted, although
not particularly good ć Fighting in the
street is not acceptable behaviour. ć
Smoking is becoming less socially acceptable. ć A small gift of flowers would
be very acceptable. ć The offer is not
acceptable to the vendor.
access / kses/ noun a way of reaching
a place ć The concert hall has access
for wheelchairs. ć At present there is no
access to the site. ˽ to have access to
something to be able to reach a place,
meet a person, or obtain something ć
I’ll have access to the studio day and
night. ć The company has access to
substantial funds. í verb to get information from a computer ć She tried to
access the address list.
accident / ksd(ə)nt/ noun 1. an unpleasant thing which happens and causes damage or injury ć He lost his leg in
an accident at work. ć She was involved
in a car accident and had to go to hospital. 2. something that happens unexpectedly ć Their third baby was an accident. ˽ by accident without being
planned or expected ć He found the
missing papers by accident.
accidental / ks dent(ə)l/ adjective
happening without being planned or expected ć an accidental meeting ć accidental damage ć His death was not accidental.
accidentally / ks dent(ə)li/ adverb
without being planned or expected
accommodation /ə kɒmə deʃ(ə)n/
noun a place to live or somewhere to
stay for a short time ć Are you still looking for accommodation? ć Visitors have
difficulty in finding hotel accommodation during the summer. (NOTE: In Britaccess
accident
accidental
accidentally
accommodation
ish English, accommodation has no
plural.)
accompany /ə k mp(ə)ni/ verb 1. to
accompany
go with someone or something ć She
accompanied me to the door. 2. to play
a musical instrument while someone
Basic.fm Page 3 Friday, January 16, 2004 3:10 PM
accomplish
else plays another instrument or sings ć
She sang and was accompanied on the
piano by her father. (NOTE: accompanied by someone or something)
accomplish /ə k mplʃ/ verb to do
something successfully ć You won’t accomplish anything by arguing.
according to /ə kɔ dŋ tu / preposition 1. as someone says or writes ć The
washing machine was installed according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
ć According to the police, the car was
going too fast. 2. in agreement with
rules or a system ć Everything went according to plan or schedule. 3. in relation to ć The teachers have separated
the children into classes according to
their ages.
account /ə kaυnt/ noun 1. same as
bank account 2. ˽ I was worried on
her account I was afraid something
might happen to her ȣ on account of
because of, due to ć The trains are late
on account of the fog. ć We don’t use the
car much on account of the price of petrol. ȣ take something into account
to consider something ć We have to take
the weather into account. ȣ on no account not at all
accurate / kjυrət/ adjective correct in
all details ć Are the figures accurate? ć
We asked them to make an accurate
copy of the plan.
accurately / kjυrətli/ adverb correctly ć The weather forecast accurately
predicted the storm.
accuse /ə kju z/ verb to say that someone has done something wrong ć The
police accused her of stealing the money. (NOTE: You accuse someone of a
accomplish
according to
account
accurate
accurately
accuse
crime or of doing something.)
achieve /ə tʃi v/ verb to succeed in doachieve
ing something after trying very hard ć
Have you achieved all your aims? ć The
company has achieved great success in
the USA.
achievement /ə tʃi vmənt/ noun
something which has been done successfully ć She is very modest about her
achievements. ć Coming sixth was a
great achievement, since he had never
entered the competition before.
achievement
3
action
acid / sd/ noun a chemical substance
acid
that is able to dissolve metals
acknowledge /ək nɒld / verb 1. to
acknowledge
say that something has been received ć
She didn’t acknowledge receiving my
letter. 2. to accept that something is true
ć She acknowledged that she had seen
me there.
acknowledgement /ək nɒld mənt/
noun a letter or note sent to say that
something has been received
acorn / ekɔ n/ noun the fruit of an oak
tree
acquaintance /ə kwentəns/ noun a
person you know slightly ć She has
many acquaintances in the travel industry but no real friends.
acquire /ə kwaə/ verb to become the
owner of something ć She has acquired
a large collection of old books.
across /ə krɒs/ preposition 1. from one
side to the other ć Don’t run across the
road without looking to see if there is
any traffic coming. 2. on the other side
of ć He saw her across the street. í adverb from one side to the other ć The
river is only twenty feet across. ć The
stream is very narrow – you can easily
jump across.
act / kt/ noun 1. something which is
done ć He thanked her for the many
acts of kindness she had shown him over
the years. 2. a part of a play or show ć
Act 2 of the play takes place in the garden. 3. a short performance ć The show
includes acts by several young singers.
4. a law passed by Parliament ć an act
to ban the sale of weapons í verb 1. to
do something ć You will have to act
quickly if you want to stop the fire. ć She
acted in a very responsible way. ˽ to act
as someone or something to do the
work of someone or something ć The
thick curtain acts as a screen to cut out
noise from the street. 2. to behave in a
particular way ć She’s been acting very
strangely. ȣ to get your act together
to organise yourself properly ć If they
don’t get their act together, they’ll miss
their train.
action / kʃən/ noun 1. the fact of doing
something ć We recommend swift acacknowledgement
acorn
acquaintance
acquire
across
act
action
Basic.fm Page 4 Friday, January 16, 2004 3:10 PM
active
tion to prevent the problem spreading. ć
What action are you going to take to
prevent accidents? ˽ out of action not
working ć The car has been out of action for a week. 2. something that is
done ć They’ve shown their commitment by their actions. 3. a movement ć
Avoid sudden actions that could alarm
the animals. 4. the things that happen in
a performance such as a play or film ć
The action of the play takes place in a
flat in London. 5. a case in a law court
where someone tries to get money from
someone else ć to bring an action for
damages against someone
active / ktv/ adjective 1. involved in
active
an activity or activities, especially in an
energetic way ć He didn’t play an active part in the attack on the police station. ć My grandmother is still very active at the age of 88. 2. (of a volcano)
exploding or likely to explode ć Scientists think the volcano is no longer active. 3. the form of a verb which shows
that the subject is doing something
(NOTE: If you say ‘the car hit him’ the
verb is active, but in ‘he was hit by the
car’ it is passive.)
activity / k tvti/ noun 1. the act or
activity
fact of being active 2. something that
someone does to pass time pleasantly ć
Children are offered various holiday activities – sailing, windsurfing and water-skiing. (NOTE: The plural in this
sense is activities.)
actor / ktə/ noun a person who acts in
actor
the theatre, in films or on TV
actress / ktrəs/ noun a woman who
actress
acts in the theatre, in films or on TV
(NOTE: Many women prefer to call
themselves actors rather than actresses.)
actual / ktʃuəl/ adjective real
actual
ć It
looks quite small but the actual height is
5 metres. ć Her actual words were much
stronger.
actually / ktʃuəli/ adverb really
actually
ć It
looks quite small, but actually it is over
5 metres high. ć He said he was ill, but
actually he wanted to go to the football
match.
4
address
ad / d/ noun an advertisement (informal )
ad
ć If you want to sell your car quickly,
put an ad in the paper.
adapt /ə d pt/ verb 1. to change something to be suitable for a new situation ć
She adapted the story for TV. ć The car
has been adapted for disabled drivers.
2. to change your behaviour to fit into a
new situation ć We’ll all have to learn
to adapt to the new system.
adaptable /ə d ptəb(ə)l/ adjective
able to change or be changed easily to
deal with new situations or uses
add / d/ verb 1. to make a total of numbers ć If you add all these numbers together it should make fifty. (NOTE: Addadapt
adaptable
add
ing is usually shown by the sign + : 10
+ 4 = 14.) 2. to join one thing to another
ć Interest is added to the account
monthly. ć Add two cupfuls of sugar. ć
Put a teabag into the pot and add boiling water. ć By building the annexe,
they have added thirty rooms to the hotel. 3. to say or to write something more
ć I have nothing to add to what I put in
my letter. ć She added that we still owed
her some money for work she did last
month.
add up phrasal verb to make a total ˽
the figures do not add up the total is
not correct
addition /ə dʃ(ə)n/ noun 1. someone or
something added to something else ć
the latest addition to the family ć He
showed us the additions to his collection
of paintings. 2. the act of adding figures
to make a total ć You don’t need a calculator to do a simple addition. ˽ in addition to as well as ć There are twelve
registered letters to be sent in addition
to this parcel. ȣ in addition as well ȣ
in addition to as well as ć There are
twelve registered letters to be sent in addition to this parcel.
additional /ə dʃ(ə)nəl/ adjective included as well as what there is already
address /ə dres/ noun 1. a set of details
of the number of a house, the name of a
street and the town where someone lives
or works ć What is the doctor’s address? ć Our address is: 1 Cambridge
Road, Teddington, Middlesex. 2. the set
of letters, symbols and numbers that
addition
additional
address
Basic.fm Page 5 Friday, January 16, 2004 3:10 PM
address book
identify someone’s email account í
verb 1. to write details such as someone’s name, street and town on a letter
or parcel ć That letter is addressed to
me – don’t open it! 2. to speak or write
to someone ć Please address your questions to the information office. ć Teachers are not normally addressed as ‘Sir’
here. 3. to make a formal speech to a
group ć The chairman addressed the
meeting.
address book /ə dres bυk/ noun a
address book
notebook or computer file in which you
can record people’s names, home addresses, telephone numbers and email
addresses
adequate / dkwət/ adjective 1.
adequate
enough for a purpose ć We don’t have
adequate supplies for the whole journey.
ć His salary alone is barely adequate.
2. only just satisfactory
adhesive /əd hi sv/ adjective able to
stick to things í noun a substance
which sticks things together
adhesive
adjacent /ə d es(ə)nt/ adjective very
adjacent
close to or almost touching something ć
My office is in an adjacent building.
adjective / d ktv/ noun a word
which describes a noun ć In the phrase
‘a big black cloud’, ‘big’ and ‘black’
are both adjectives.
adjective
adjust /ə d
adjust
st/ verb to make a slight
change to something ć I need to adjust
this belt a bit. ˽ to adjust to something
to become used to something ć How are
you adjusting to being a parent?
admiration / dmə reʃ(ə)n/ noun readmiration
spect for someone or something
admire /əd maə/ verb to consider
admire
someone or something with approval ć
He was admired for his skill as a violinist. ć We admired the view from the balcony.
admission /əd mʃ(ə)n/ noun 1. the act
admission
or fact of being allowed to go in to a
place ć Admission to the exhibition is
free on Sundays. ć My friend was refused admission to the restaurant because he was not wearing a tie. ˽ no admission no one can enter 2. a statement
saying that something bad is true ć Her
5
advantage
admission that she had taken the money
led to her arrest.
admission fee /əd mʃ(ə)n fi / noun
an amount of money paid to go into a
place such as a museum
admit /əd mt/ verb to allow someone to
go in to a place ć Children are admitted
free, but adults have to pay. ć This ticket
admits three people. (NOTE: admits –
admitting – admitted) ˽ to admit (to)
doing something to say that you have
done something wrong ć They admitted
stealing the car.
adopt /ə dɒpt/ verb 1. to take someone
legally as a son or daughter ć They have
adopted a little boy. 2. to decide to start
using something ć The book has been
adopted for use in all English classes. ć
We need to adopt a more flexible approach.
adore /ə dɔ / verb to like someone or
something very much
adult / d lt/ noun a fully-grown person
í adjective 1. fully grown ć an adult tiger 2. relating to a mature person or
people ć adult fiction
advance /əd vɑ ns/ verb to move forward ć The police slowly advanced
across the square. í noun 1. a movement forwards ć The police have made
some advances in their fight against
crime. ć The team made an advance
into their opponents’ half. 2. money
paid as a loan or as a part of a payment
to be made later í adjective done before
something happens ć She made an advance payment of £3000. ȣ in advance
earlier than the time something happens
ć You must phone in advance to make
an appointment. ć They asked us to pay
£200 in advance.
advanced /əd vɑ nst/ adjective which
is studied at a higher level ć He’s studying advanced mathematics. ć She’s
studying for an advanced degree.
advantage /əd vɑ ntd / noun something which will help you to be successful ć Being able to drive a car is an advantage. ć Knowledge of two foreign
languages is an advantage in this job. ć
She has several advantages over the
other job candidates. ȣ to take advanadmission fee
admit
adopt
adore
adult
advance
advanced
advantage
Basic.fm Page 6 Friday, January 16, 2004 3:10 PM
adventure
tage of something to profit from
something ć They took advantage of the
cheap fares on offer. ȣ to take advantage of someone to get something unfairly from someone ȣ to (good or
best) advantage in a way that helps
someone or something appear especially good ć She used her knowledge of
Italian to good advantage.
adventure /əd ventʃə/ noun a new, exciting and dangerous experience ć I
must tell you about our adventures in
the desert.
adverb / dv b/ noun a word which
applies to a verb, an adjective, another
adverb or a whole sentence ć In the sentence ‘He walked slowly, because the
snow was very thick.’ both ‘slowly’ and
‘very’ are adverbs.
adverse / dv s/ adjective (of conditions) unpleasant and unwanted ć an
adverse reaction ć adverse effects
advert / dv t/ noun same as adveradventure
adverb
adverse
advert
tisement
advertise / dvətaz/ verb to make
advertise
sure that people know that something is
for sale, or that something is going to
happen ć The company is advertising
for secretaries. ć Did you see that the
restaurant is advertising cheap meals
on Sundays? ć I saw this watch advertised in the paper.
advertisement /əd v tsmənt/ noun
an announcement which tries to make
sure that people know that something is
for sale, or that something is going to
happen
advertising / dvətazŋ/ noun the act
of making sure that people know that
something is for sale, or that something
is going to happen ć The company has
increased the amount of money it spends
on advertising. ć They spent millions on
the advertising campaign.
advice /əd vas/ noun an opinion that
someone gives you about what you
should do ć He went to the bank manager for advice on how to pay his debts. ć
They would not listen to the doctor’s advice. ć My grandfather gave me a very
useful piece of advice. ć His mother’s
advice was to stay in bed. (NOTE: no pluadvertisement
advertising
advice
6
afraid
ral: use some advice or, for one item, a
piece of advice)
advise /əd vaz/ verb 1. to suggest to
advise
someone what they should do ć He advised her to save some of the money. 2.
to tell someone officially that something
has happened (formal ) ć They advised
us that the sale of the house had been
completed.
adviser /əd vazə/, advisor noun someone who helps people to make decisions
about what to do
aerial / eəriəl/ noun a piece of equipment
for receiving radio or TV signals
aeroplane / eərəplen/ noun a vehicle
which flies in the air, carrying passengers or goods
affair /ə feə/ noun 1. something which is
relevant to one person or group of people only ć That’s his affair – it’s nothing
to do with me. ć It’s an affair for the police. ć His business affairs were very
complicated. 2. a sexual relationship
with someone who is not your husband
or wife ć He’s having an affair with his
boss’s wife. 3. an event ć The party is
just a family affair. 4. an event or situation that shocks people ć The whole
sorry affair was on the front page of the
newspapers for days. í plural noun affairs situations or activities relating to
public or private life
affect /ə fekt/ verb to have an influence
on someone or something ć The new
regulations have affected our business.
ć Train services have been seriously affected by the strike.
affection /ə fekʃən/ noun a feeling of
liking someone, especially a friend ć
She always spoke of him with great affection.
afford /ə fɔ d/ verb to have enough money to pay for something ć How will you
afford such an expensive holiday? ˽ be
unable to afford, can’t afford to be unable to accept something because it
might cause you a problem ć I can’t afford a delay of more than three weeks.
afraid /ə fred/ adjective 1. frightened of
something or someone ć I am afraid of
snakes. ć He is too afraid to climb the
ladder. 2. ˽ to be afraid (that) to be
adviser
aerial
aeroplane
affair
affect
affection
afford
afraid
Basic.fm Page 7 Friday, January 16, 2004 3:10 PM
after
sorry to say ć I’m afraid that all the
cakes have been sold. ć You can’t see
the boss – I’m afraid he’s ill. ć Have
you got a pocket calculator? – No, I’m
afraid not.
after / ɑ ftə/ preposition 1. following or
next in order to ć If today is Tuesday,
the day after tomorrow is Thursday. ć
They spoke one after the other. ć What’s
the letter after Q in the alphabet? ˽ after you you go first 2. later than ć We
arrived after six o’clock. ć We don’t let
the children go out alone after dark. í
conjunction later than a time ć After the
snow fell, the motorways were blocked.
ć Phone me after you get home. (NOTE:
after
after is used with many phrasal verbs:
to look after, to take after, etc.) ȣ after all 1. in spite of everything ć Everything was all right after all. 2. the fact is
ć He should be OK; after all, he is
eighteen now.
afternoon / ɑ ftə nu n/ noun the time
between midday and the evening ć He
always has a little sleep in the afternoon. ć There is an afternoon flight to
Paris. ć Can we meet tomorrow afternoon?
afterwards / ɑ ftəwədz/ adverb later ć
We’ll have lunch first and go shopping
afterwards.
again /ə en/ adverb 1. another time ć
He had to take his driving test again. ˽
again and again several times, usually
in a firm or determined way ć The police officer asked the same question
again and again. 2. back as you were
before ć Although I like going on holiday, I’m always glad to be home again.
against /ə enst/ preposition 1. so as to
touch ć He was leaning against the
wall. ć She hit her head against the low
doorway. 2. in opposition to ć England
is playing against South Africa tomorrow. ć It’s hard cycling uphill against
the wind. ć They went against his advice.
age /ed / noun the number of years
which you have lived ć She is thirty
years of age. ć He looks younger than
his age. í plural noun ages a very long
time (informal ) ć I’ve been waiting here
for ages. ć It took us ages to get served.
afternoon
afterwards
again
against
age
7
agreement
aged /ed d/ adjective with the age of ć
1
aged
a girl aged nine ć She died last year,
aged 83.
aged2 / ed d/ adjective very old ć an
aged man
agency / ed ənsi/ noun an office which
represents another firm ć an advertising
agency
agenda /ə d endə/ noun a list of points
for discussion ˽ what’s on the agenda?
what are we going to discuss? í a set of
things that someone plans to do ˽ top of
your agenda what someone wants most
ć A holiday is top of my agenda at
present.
agent / ed ənt/ noun a person who
works for or represents someone else ć
Our head office is in London but we
have an agent in Paris.
aggression /ə reʃ(ə)n/ noun a feeling
of anger against someone that is expressed, especially in physical force ˽
an act of aggression an attack on someone
aggressive /ə resv/ adjective ready
to attack someone
aggressively /ə resvli/ adverb as if
wanting to attack someone
ago /ə əυ/ adverb in the past ć He
phoned a few minutes ago. ć This all
happened a long time ago. (NOTE: ago
aged
agency
agenda
agent
aggression
aggressive
aggressively
ago
always follows a word referring to
time.)
agree /ə ri / verb 1. to say yes or give
agree
permission ć After some discussion he
agreed to our plan. (NOTE: You agree to
or on a plan.) 2. to say or show that you
have the same opinion as someone else
ć Most of the group agreed with her
suggestion.
agreement /ə ri mənt/ noun 1. the act
or fact of thinking the same ć to reach
an agreement or to come to an agreement on salaries ć Agreement between
the two sides is still a long way off. ˽
they are in agreement with our plan
they agree with our plan ć We discussed
the plan with them and they are in
agreement. 2. a contract ć to draw up or
to draft an agreement ć We signed an
agreement with the Italian company.
agreement
Basic.fm Page 8 Friday, January 16, 2004 3:10 PM
ahead
ahead /ə hed/ adverb 1. in front ć Our
ahead
team was losing, but now we are ahead
again. ć Run on ahead and find some
seats for us. ć You need to go straight
ahead, and then turn left. 2. in future ć
My diary is filled with appointments for
six weeks ahead. 3. before ć We try to
fill the vacancies at least three weeks
ahead. ȣ ahead of /ə hed ɒv/ 1. in
front of ć Ahead of us was a steep hill.
ć They ran on ahead of the others. 2. in
a future time ć You have a mass of work
ahead of you. 3. before (informal ) ć
They drafted in extra police ahead of the
international match.
aid /ed/ noun 1. help, especially money,
food or other gifts given to people living
in difficult conditions ć aid to the earthquake zone ć an aid worker (NOTE: This
meaning of aid has no plural.) ˽ in aid
of in order to help ć We give money in
aid of the Red Cross. ć They are collecting money in aid of refugees. 2. something which helps you to do something
ć kitchen aids í verb 1. to help something to happen 2. to help someone
aim /em/ noun what you are trying to do
ć His aim is to do well at school and
then go to university. ć One of our aims
is to increase the speed of service. í
verb 1. to plan to do something ć We
aim to go on holiday in June. 2. to point
a gun at someone or something ć He
was aiming or aiming a gun at the policeman.
air /eə/ noun 1. a mixture of gases which
cannot be seen, but which is all around
us and which every animal breathes ć
His breath was like steam in the cold air.
2. the air the space around things and
above the ground ć He threw the ball up
into the air. (NOTE: These meanings of
air have no plural.) í adjective referring to a method of travelling or sending
goods using aircraft ć new air routes ˽
by air in an aircraft ć I don’t enjoy travelling by air. ć It’s quicker to send the
letter by air. í verb to make a room or
clothes fresh by giving them more air ć
Let’s open the windows to air the room.
aircraft / eəkrɑ ft/ noun a vehicle which
flies in the air ć The passengers got into
or boarded the aircraft. ć The airline
aid
aim
air
aircraft
8
alive
has a fleet of ten aircraft. (NOTE: The
plural is aircraft: one aircraft, six aircraft.)
airfare / eəfeə/ noun the amount of money a passenger has to pay to travel on an
aircraft
air force / eə fɔ s/ noun a country’s military air organisation
airline / eəlan/ noun a company which
takes people or goods to places in aircraft ć The airline has been voted the
most popular with business travellers. ć
He’s an airline pilot.
airplane / eəplen/ noun US an aircraft
airport / eəpɔ t/ noun a place where aircraft land and take off ć You can take
the underground to the airport. ć We
are due to arrive at Heathrow Airport at
midday.
alarm /ə lɑ m/ noun 1. a loud warning
sound ć An alarm will sound if someone
touches the wire. ˽ to raise the alarm
to warn everyone of danger 2. same as
alarm clock í verb to frighten someone ć I don’t want to alarm you, but
there’s a police car parked outside your
house.
alarm clock /ə lɑ m klɒk/ noun a clock
which rings a bell to wake you up
album / lbəm/ noun 1. a large book 2.
a collection of songs on a CD, cassette
or record
alcohol / lkəhɒl/ noun a substance in
drinks such as beer or wine that can
make people drunk ć They will not
serve alcohol to anyone under the age of
18.
alcoholic / lkə hɒlk/ adjective relating to alcohol
alert /ə l t/ adjective watching or listening carefully, ready to notice something
alike /ə lak/ adjective very similar í adverb in a similar way ć My sister and I
just don’t think alike. ć The change will
affect rich and poor alike.
alive /ə lav/ adjective 1. living ć He was
still alive when he was rescued from the
burning building. ć When my grandfather was alive, there were no supermarkets. (NOTE: not used in front of a noun:
the fish is alive but a live fish.) 2. lively
airfare
air force
airline
airplane
airport
alarm
alarm clock
album
alcohol
alcoholic
alert
alike
alive
Basic.fm Page 9 Friday, January 16, 2004 3:10 PM
all
ć The holiday village really comes alive
at night. ˽ to come alive to become
busy and active
all /ɔ l/ adjective, pronoun everything or
all
everyone ć They all or All of them like
coffee. ć All trains stop at Clapham
Junction. ć Did you pick all (of) the tomatoes? ć Where are all the children?
í adverb 1. completely ć The ground
was all white after the snow had fallen.
ć I forgot all about her birthday. 2. ˽ all
by yourself all alone ć You can’t do it
all by yourself. ć I’m all by myself this
evening – my girlfriend’s gone out. ȣ all
along right from the beginning ȣ all at
once suddenly ȣ all in 1. tired out 2.
including everything ȣ all of a sudden
suddenly ȣ all over 1. everywhere over
something 2. finished ȣ all right well ć
She was ill yesterday but she’s all right
now. ȣ all the same in spite of this ć
I’m not really keen on horror films, but
I’ll go with you all the same.
allergic /ə l d k/ adjective suffering
from or referring to an allergy ˽ to be
allergic
allergic to to react badly to a substance
ć Many people are allergic to grass pollen. ć She is allergic to cats.
9
alphabetical
Jack has been my closest ally in the
campaign.
ally2 /ə la/ verb ˽ to ally yourself with
or to someone to join forces with someone ć The unions have allied themselves with the opposition. (NOTE: allies
ally
– allying – allied)
almost / ɔ lməυst/ adverb nearly
almost
alone
along
allergy / ləd i/ noun a bad reaction to
allergy
a substance which makes you sneeze, or
makes your skin itch, e.g. ć She has an
allergy to household dust. ć The baby
has a wheat allergy.
allow /ə laυ/ verb to let someone do
allow
something ć She allowed me to borrow
her book. ć Smoking is not allowed in
the restaurant. ć You are allowed to
take two pieces of hand luggage onto the
plane.
allowance /ə laυəns/ noun 1. an
allowance
amount of money paid to someone regularly ć a weekly allowance 2. an
amount of money which you are allowed to earn without paying tax on it 3.
˽ to make allowances for to take something into account ć You must make allowances for his age.
ally1 / la/ noun 1. a country which
ally
works together with another, especially
in a war (NOTE: The plural is allies.) 2.
someone who is willing to support you
in something you want to achieve ć
ć
London is almost as far from here as
Paris. ć She’s almost as tall as I am. ć
She’ll eat almost anything. ć Hurry up,
it’s almost time for the train to leave.
alone /ə ləυn/ adjective 1. with no one
else ć She lives alone with her cats. ć
He was all alone in the shop. 2. only ć
She alone knew the importance of the
message. í adverb without other people
ć We don’t let the children go out alone
after dark. ć I don’t like travelling
alone. ȣ leave alone 1. not to disturb
someone ć Leave your sister alone,
she’s trying to read. 2. to stop touching
or playing with something ć Leave the
cat alone, it doesn’t like being stroked.
ć Leave those keys alone, the noise is
annoying me. ȣ to go it alone to do
something, especially a business activity, without help from anyone
along /ə lɒŋ/ preposition 1. by the side
of ć He has planted fruit trees along
both sides of the garden path. ć The river runs along one side of the castle. 2. in
a straight forward direction ć She ran
along the pavement. ć Walk along the
street until you come to the post office. ć
I was just driving along when I caught
sight of my brother. 3. to a place ć John
came along after about five minutes. ć
Is it ok if I bring a friend along?
aloud /ə laυd/ adverb in a voice which
can be easily heard
alphabet / lfəbet/ noun a series of letters in a specific order, e.g. A, B, C, etc
ć G comes before H in the alphabet. ć
If you’re going to Greece on holiday,
you ought to learn the Greek alphabet.
alphabetical / lfə betk(ə)l/ adjective relating to the alphabet ˽ in alphabetical order in order of the first letter
of each word ć The words in the dictionary are in alphabetical order. ć Sort
out the address cards into alphabetical
order of the people’s names.
aloud
alphabet
alphabetical
Basic.fm Page 10 Friday, January 16, 2004 3:10 PM
already
already /ɔ l redi/ adverb before now or
already
before the time mentioned ć I’ve already done my shopping. ć It was already past ten o’clock when he arrived.
also / ɔ lsəυ/ adverb in addition to something or someone else that has been
mentioned ć He’s a keen cyclist and his
sister also likes to cycle when she can. ć
She sings well and can also play the violin. (NOTE: also is usually placed bealso
fore the main verb or after a modal or
auxiliary verb.)
alter / ɔ ltə/ verb to become different, or
alter
make something different, especially in
small ways or in parts only ć They
wanted to alter the terms of the contract
after they had signed it. ć The shape of
his face had altered slightly.
alteration / ɔ ltə reʃ(ə)n/ noun 1. the
act of becoming different or of making
something different 2. something that
has been, or needs, changing ć She
made some alterations in the design.
alternate1 /ɔ l t nət/ adjective every
other one ć We see each other on alternate Sundays.
alternate2 / ɔ ltənet/ verb to keep
changing from one particular position or
state to another
alternative /ɔ l t nətv/ adjective 1. in
place of something else ć If the plane is
full, we will put you on an alternative
flight. ć Do you have an alternative solution? 2. following a different way
from usual í noun something which
you do instead of something else ć Now
that she’s ill, do we have any alternative
to calling the holiday off?
although /ɔ l ðəυ/ conjunction in spite
of the fact that ć Although it was freezing, she didn’t put a coat on. ć I’ve never been into that shop although I’ve often walked past it.
altogether / ɔ ltə eðə/ adverb taking
everything together ć The food was £10
and the drinks £5, so that makes £15 altogether. ć The staff of the three shops
come to 200 altogether.
always / ɔ lwez/ adverb 1. every time
ć She is always late for work. ć Why
does it always rain when we want to go
for a walk? 2. all the time ć It’s always
alteration
alternate
alternate
alternative
although
altogether
always
10
amount
hot in tropical countries. 3. frequently,
especially when someone finds it annoying ć She’s always asking me to
lend her money.
am /əm, m/ 1st person present singular
of be
a.m. / e em/ adverb before midday ć I
have to catch the 7 a.m. train to work
every day. ć Telephone calls made before 6 a.m. are charged at the cheap
rate. (NOTE: a.m. is usually used to
am
a.m.
show the exact hour and the word
o’clock is left out)
amazement /ə mezmənt/ noun great
amazement
surprise ć To his amazement he won
first prize.
amazing /ə mezŋ/ adjective 1. very
surprising ć It was amazing that she
never suspected anything. 2. extremely
interesting and unusual ć It was an
amazing experience, sailing so far from
land at night.
ambition / m bʃ(ə)n/ noun a wish to
do something special ć His great ambition is to ride on an elephant.
ambulance / mbjυləns/ noun a van
which carries sick or injured people to
hospital ć When she fell down the stairs,
her husband called an ambulance.
American /ə merkən/ adjective relating to America or to the United States
among /ə m ŋ/, amongst /ə m ŋst/
preposition 1. surrounded by or in the
middle of ć He was standing among a
crowd of tourists. 2. between a number
of people in a group ć Let’s share the
cake among us. 3. in addition to other
people or things ć Jack was there,
among others.
amount /ə maυnt/ noun a quantity of
something such as money ć The amount
in my bank account has reached £1000.
ć We spent a large amount of time just
waiting. ˽ a certain amount some but
not a lot ć Painting the house will take
a certain amount of time.
amount to phrasal verb 1. to make a
total of ć My year’s savings amount to
less than £1000. 2. to be similar or equal
to something ć I think what he said
amounts to a refusal to take part. 3. ˽ to
amount to the same thing to mean the
amazing
ambition
ambulance
American
among
amount
Basic.fm Page 11 Friday, January 16, 2004 3:10 PM
amuse
same, to be the same ć Whether he took
cash or free holidays, it all amounts to
the same thing. ć The remaining problems don’t amount to much.
amuse /ə mju z/ verb 1. to make someone laugh ć This story will amuse you.
˽ to amuse yourself to play or get
pleasure from what you are doing ć The
children amused themselves quietly
while their parents talked. 2. to make
the time pass pleasantly for someone ć
How can we amuse the children on the
journey?
amusement /ə mju zmənt/ noun 1. a
feeling of pleasure caused by something
that is funny 2. ˽ to someone’s amusement making someone feel pleasure in
a funny situation ć Much to her amusement, the band played ‘Happy Birthday
to you!’. 3. a way of passing the time
pleasantly ć They had planned several
visits for the guest’s amusement.
amusing /ə mju zŋ/ adjective funny
an /ən, n/ a
analysis /ə n ləss/ noun a close examination of the parts or elements of something ć job analysis ć to make an analysis of the sales or a sales analysis ć to
carry out an analysis of the market potential (NOTE: The plural is analyses /ə
n lsi z/.)
ancient / enʃənt/ adjective very old, or
belonging to a time long ago ć He was
riding an ancient bicycle.
and /ən, ənd, nd/ conjunction used to
join two words or phrases ć All my uncles and aunts live in the country. ć The
children were running about and singing. ć Come and sit down next to me.
amuse
amusement
amusing
an
analysis
ancient
and
(NOTE: and is used to say numbers after 100: ‘seven hundred and two
(702)’) ȣ and so on, and so forth,
and so on and so forth with other
similar things ć He talked about plants,
flowers, vegetables, and so on.
anger / ŋ ə/ noun a feeling of being
very annoyed ć He managed to control
his anger. ć She couldn’t hide the anger
she felt.
angle / ŋ əl/ noun a corner where two
lines meet ć She planted the tree in the
angle of the two walls. ȣ at an angle
anger
angle
11
annoying
not straight ć The shop front is at an angle to the road.
angrily / ŋ rli/ adverb in an angry
way ć He shouted angrily when the
children climbed over the fence.
angry / ŋ ri/ adjective upset and annoyed, and sometimes wanting to harm
someone ć The shopkeeper is angry
with the children because they broke his
window. ć He gets angry if the post is
late. ć I am angry that the government
is doing nothing to prevent crime. ć
When the cashier still hadn’t arrived at
midday the boss got even angrier.
angrily
angry
(NOTE: angrier – angriest)
animal / nm(ə)l/ noun a living thing
animal
that moves independently ć I love having animals as pets. (NOTE: animal may
include humans in scientific contexts.)
ankle / ŋkəl/ noun the part of the body
ankle
where your leg joins your foot
anniversary / n v s(ə)ri/ noun the
anniversary
same date as an important event that
happened in the past
announce /ə naυns/ verb to say something officially or in public ć He announced his resignation. ć She announced that she would be standing for
parliament.
announcement /ə naυnsmənt/ noun a
statement made in public ć The managing director made an announcement to
the staff. ć There were several announcements concerning flight changes.
annoy /ə nɔ/ verb to make someone feel
slightly angry or impatient ć Their rude
behaviour really annoyed us.
annoyance /ə nɔəns/ noun a feeling of
being slightly annoyed ć There was a
tone of annoyance in her voice.
annoyed /ə nɔd/ adjective slightly angry or impatient ć He was annoyed with
his neighbour who had cut down one of
his trees. ć I was annoyed to find someone had stolen my mobile phone.
annoying /ə nɔŋ/ adjective making
you angry or impatient ć I find it very
annoying that the post doesn’t come before 10 o’clock. ć How annoying! I forgot to buy the milk. ć The baby has an
annoying cough which won’t go away.
announce
announcement
annoy
annoyance
annoyed
annoying
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